The Chicago Bulls waived shooting guard Jaden Ivey “due to conduct detrimental to the team,” the team announced in a statement on Monday.
Ivey had increasingly been posting on social media about his religious beliefs and recently made anti-LGBTQ comments. The Bulls’ decision reportedly came after he criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month, which he called “unrighteousness.”
“The world proclaims LGBTQ, right? They proclaim Pride Month and the NBA does too. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ “
Prior to the team’s game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, Bulls coach Billy Donovan explained the decision to waive Ivey.
“Just inside the Bulls, we have people from all different kinds of backgrounds,” Donovan told reporters. “And whether it’s coaches, from the top, it’s always been we’re all going to work well together, we’re going to accept each other. We’re going to be hard working, we’re going to be respectful and we’re going to be professional.
“… There’s certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.”
Billy Donovan explains the Bulls cutting Jaden Ivey after the guard posted a homophobic video today.
“Organizationally, there’s certain standards I think we want to have as an organization and live up to those each and every day.” pic.twitter.com/uodtclRUe2
The Bulls moved on from Ivey after acquiring him in February, along with Mike Conley, in a three-team trade that sent Kevin Huerter, center Dario Šarić and a future first-round pick swap to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that gave salary-cap relief to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ivey and Conley are now no longer with the Bulls; the team bought out Conley’s contract shortly after the trade.
Before his comments, Ivey struggled to find his place on the Bulls. He played in four games, made three starts and had already been ruled out for the season with a knee injury on Thursday.
After what Ivey reportedly believed was his first career DNP, he told The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi he was no longer the player he used to be after his knee injuries.
“I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be,” he said. “[The knee soreness is] why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”
Before Ivey was traded, he struggled to regain his play and athleticism from his early seasons with the Pistons, who took him with the fifth overall pick out of Purdue in the 2022 NBA Draft. Ivey missed the first 15 games of this season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee.
Last season, Ivey missed the second half of the season and the Pistons’ playoff run with a broken fibula in his left leg. Ivey was averaging 17.6 points, 4.1 assists and 4 rebounds before he went down last season.
Allen, who co-founded Microsoft, previously owned the Trail Blazers from 1988 until his death in 2018. He purchased the team for $70 million in 1988. The team has since been run by his his estate, which is managed by his sister, Jody Allen.
Allen’s will dictated that the team be sold after his death and for the proceeds to go toward philanthropic ventures. Now that sale is final and approved by the NBA. It’s not clear what philanthropic efforts the proceeds will support.
Who is Tom Dundon?
Dundon, 54, purchased a majority stake in the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in 2018, and the franchise has experienced success under his leadership.
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in each year from 2019-25, making the conference finals three times. Prior to the 2018-19 season, the Hurricanes missed the playoffs for nine consecutive years.
With two weeks to go in the regular season, there is still much to be decided in the NBA’s playoff picture. Who are the favorites in the East and West? What are the most intriguing playoff races to watch? And which first-round matchups would be must-see TV? Our writers break it all down.
Ben Rohrbach: Celtics. Given Cade Cunningham’s injury (collapsed lung) for the Pistons, the inherent issues of counting Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns as the New York Knicks’ two best players, and the track record of both James Harden and the Cavaliers, I think it’s Boston — with Jayson Tatum in tow — by default. Here’s a question: Is Jaylen Brown the most dependable superstar in the conference? There’s a chance Tatum enters that conversation, and that chance makes Boston the favorite.
Kelly Iko: Cavaliers.I think there’s enough parity in the East that it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint an exact favorite. For the sake of this exercise, I’m going with Cleveland. Adding James Harden and Max Strus gives the Cavs an edge against playoff defenses that will attempt to plug as many holes as possible. There’s also something to be said about the Harden-Strus synergy; Cleveland is outscoring opponents by 22 points per 100 possessions when both are on the floor. The Cavs defend at a top-five rate, probably have the best bench in the conference and, oh yeah, have Donovan Mitchell. They are more than just a dark horse, they’re flat-out dangerous.
Morten Stig Jensen: Celtics. While it’s tempting to say the Pistons, I just don’t trust their floor-spacing enough. So it’s the Celtics, with the Cavaliers as my backup choice. The 3-point shooting, the defense, the return of Tatum, it’s all just too much to ignore.
Dan Devine: Pistons. Surely someone must stand up for, y’know, the actual No. 1 seed in the conference. I know the arguments against Detroit: below-average half-court scoring efficiency; bottom-third of the league in 3-point makes, attempts and accuracy; the NBA’s highest foul rate; no dependable off-the-bounce shot creation outside of Cade Cunningham, whose expected return date remains up in the air.
Devine: Thunder. It’s impossible not to be impressed by the closing kick the Spurs have put together, going 24-2 since the start of February; it’s maybe worth noting, though, that the Thunder have gone 21-5 in the same span, despite being without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for 10 of those games and without Jalen Williams for 20 of them. They finally have their full team back now, and as emphatic as San Antonio’s wins over OKC were back in December, I still feel like I’m going to need to see someone beat them four times in spring before I pick against them.
The battle for the West’s No. 1 seed is still up for grabs. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Joshua Gateley via Getty Images
Iko: Thunder.San Antonio is essentially America’s team right now, but it will be a cold day down there before I discount the reigning champs and the deepest team in the league on the verge of 60 wins before 20 losses. Gilgeous-Alexander’s heroics against New York, reaffirming his case for Clutch Player of the Year, and a fully healthy core is enough for me to get on board. Add that to the league’s No. 1 defense — which is second in opponent turnover and free throw rate — and it’s clear why Oklahoma City is not a place teams will want to be come April. Or May. Or June.
Jensen: Spurs. I know, I know, the Thunder exist, and they’re sharp when healthy. But that last part is what concerns me this year. They’re just not available to the same extent as last year, so this seems like the year to beat them. The team most likely to do so? The Spurs, along with their utterly ridiculous defense.
Rohrbach: Thunder. I do think Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, who have lost only twice since January, are right there with OKC as co-favorites, but tie goes to a defending champion that owns the NBA’s best record and net rating. They are the deepest and most well-rounded outfit, and they are led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is either the league’s top player or on par with them. Give me a Thunder team bettered by its experience of having just won together.
What’s the most intriguing playoff race to watch?
Iko: Am I lame for saying the race for the No. 1 seed out West? It’s less about the actual playoff seeding and more about potential domino effects on public perception and regular-season awards. The Thunder have the league’s hardest close, according to Tankathon: the Lakers twice, Pistons, Nuggets, Suns and Clippers. You also have to consider the potential resting that playoff teams do around this time of year, which would open the door for the Spurs — who are just 2.5 games back and seem desperate to push for it — to make the jump.
Jensen: The West’s No. 3 seed. This will be highly subjective, but the Lakers and Nuggets are basically neck and neck, and there’s something exciting about the internal competition between Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić, just in regards to who ends up with the higher seed.
Rohrbach: The race for the East’s final four playoff seeds is fascinating. Three wins separate the Nos. 5 and 10 seeds. The Raptors and Hawks are currently in position to finish fifth and sixth, securing the final two guaranteed playoff berths, and I’m not sure either scares a top-four seed. Same goes for the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. But two lingerers — the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets, if they can secure a playoff berth, even in the play-in tournament — could be real threats. But there’s no guarantee either even makes it so far.
Devine: I like Ben’s pick, but I’ll go with the Nos. 3 through 6 spots in the West, because all of the different prospective first-round combinations are pretty fascinating. Lakers-Rockets gives us LeBron vs. KD (and Amen Thompson guarding Luka, which, yes, please). Lakers-Wolves and Nuggets-Wolves would both offer a resumption of postseason unpleasantries. Nuggets-Rockets would be a styles-make-fights affair, seeing if Houston’s physical and grimy defense can slow down Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. I’m not sure that any of these four teams would be particularly excited to see any of the other three combatants in a seven-game series, which is the sort of thing that can lead to highly charged — and, hopefully, highly entertaining — hoops.
What’s the first-round matchup you’d most like to see?
Rohrbach: Nuggets-Timberwolves — two actual contenders — is pretty incredible for a first-round matchup, and we are currently headed in that direction. That either Nikola Jokić or Anthony Edwards could be sent home so early is wild. The Nuggets beat the Wolves en route to their 2023 title, and Minnesota repaid the favor a year later in a seven-game slugfest on their way to the first of consecutive conference finals appearances. More, por favor.
Jensen: Give me Thunder-Warriors, pending a healthy Stephen Curry. The Dubs may be old, but they can answer the call, and it’d be an insanely intriguing series centered around the old guard against the new generation.
Devine: The second-seeded Celtics against the seventh-seeded, finally fully healthy 76ers. Boston vs. Philly has been, in recent years, some real Hammer vs. Nail business. But I think it’d be fun, just once, to see the Sixers enter the postseason both with a full complement of weapons and without any weight of expectations, and see if Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George can’t make the favored C’s sweat just a little bit.
Iko: Hornets-Pistons in the East, Suns-Spurs in the West. The basketball gods are going to bless us, and it will be glorious. The storylines are endless; tactical battles between Charles Lee and J.B. Bickerstaff; Dillon Brooks’ quest to tame Victor Wembanyama; LaMelo Ball’s first taste of actual postseason hoops and Charlotte’s party-crasher energy; Devin Booker/Jalen Green against San Antonio’s three-guard monster. I can’t wait.
Make one bold prediction for the rest of the regular season.
Devine: Orlando — desperate for a shake-up with their vibes getting sourer and sourer with every loss (and subsequent postgame comment about how folks weren’t on the same page) — takes a page from the book of the 2024-25 Nuggets and Grizzlies, firing Jamahl Mosley mere days before the start of the play-in tournament. It doesn’t really help, and the Magic still enter the summer with a lot of questions to answer about how to get where they want to go.
Iko: The Sacramento Kings finish with the NBA’s worst record, “leapfrogging” Brooklyn, Washington and Indiana to properly position themselves ahead of commissioner Adam Silver’s impending changes to the draft lottery. This has been a tank war for the ages, and I pray we never see anything like this again. My goodness.
Jensen: The remaining eight or so games will have enormous MVP influence, due to the tight race, starring four key candidates, and we should all enjoy it.
Rohrbach: The Spurs match the Thunder for the NBA’s best record, and because they beat the defending champions four times in five tries, they secure the tiebreaker, taking a No. 1 seed into the Western Conference playoffs. As a result, Wembanyama edges SGA in the MVP voting, too. Then, we are treated to an actual matchup of the league’s last two MVPs — and a referendum on this year’s race — in the conference finals, where they decide for real who is most valuable.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have eight games remaining on their regular-season schedule, but will go into that stretch without one of their key players.
Jaden McDaniels will be sidelined with left knee patella tendinopathy and a bone bruise, the team announced Monday. His status is listed as week-to-week.
Star guard Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable on Monday’s injury report prior to Minnesota’s matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. He’s missed the T-Wolves’ past six games with patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee.
Minnesota (45-29) is battling with the Houston Rockets (45-29) for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and making a push for the fourth spot in the standings. At stake would be having home-court advantage in its first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets (48-28) in a 4-5 matchup. Finishing sixth would mean a potential matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.
McDaniels, 25, is the T-Wolves’ third-leading scorer this season, averaging a career-best 14.8 points per game. Additionally, he’s averaging 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 block while shooting 42% on 242 3-point attempts.
Surgery won’t be necessary for the injury, The Athletic reports. McDaniels apparently got hurt during Wednesday’s 110-108 overtime win over the Rockets, leaving the game with one minute left in regulation.
Minnesota hopes McDaniels can recover during the two weeks before the playoffs begin. His defense will be vital against possible opponents, including Denver’s Jamal Murray and the Lakers’ Luka Dončić.
Ayo Dosunmu is listed as available to play Monday on the NBA injury report. The T-Wolves’ trade deadline pickup has missed the past two games with a sore right calf.
MLB’s new automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system was the star of opening weekend, the main character in the first scene of this baseball season. Prior to Opening Day, we’d seen ABS in the minor leagues, in spring training, even in the All-Star Game, but this is a different beast.
Now the games actually matter. As a result, this weekend provided moments both predictable and unforeseen, including an ABS-related ejection, a standing ovation, rules confusion and a whole lot of head-tapping.
Here are a few takeaways from the first days of the ABS era.
Positive response from fans
Through the season’s first series, fans, particularly those inside stadiums, seemed to like the setup. That is, far and away, the most important outcome from opening weekend. MLB’s stated objective in implementing ABS was to “provide players with an opportunity to correct missed calls in high-leverage moments in a manner that fans like.”
Making the challenge process clear, swift and intuitive was always going to be the league’s biggest … well … challenge. But early returns are encouraging. The strike-zone graphic displayed on JumboTrons and shown on broadcasts is incredibly easy to understand. The online sentiment has been overwhelmingly positive. Eventually, some of the novelty of ABS will wear off, but this past weekend, folks at home and at the yard were hyped to see it used correctly in big spots.
With two down and the bases loaded in the sixth inning of Saturday’s Red Sox-Reds game, home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor rang up Cincy’s Eugenio Suárez on a sinker off the plate and down on a 1-2 count. Suárez tapped his head as Boston hurler Ryan Watson strolled toward the dugout. Much to the roaring delight of 38,298, the call was quickly overturned.
That crowd pop was swell, but Great American Ballpark went completely ballistic a few moments later. Because on the very next pitch, a fastball an inch off the dish, Bucknor sat Suárez down once more. Again Suárez challenged. Again it was overturned. The resulting wave of sound was deafening.
C.B. Bucknor tried to ring up Eugenio Suárez on back-to-back pitches.
Unfortunately for the fans in Cincinnati, on the next pitch, Suárez grounded out.
The first robo-ejection
No game over the weekend featured more challenges than Sunday’s Orioles-Twins rubber match. The two clubs combined to concoct 10 ABS reviews, seven of which resulted in overturned calls. But the afternoon’s final challenge was the one everyone who was at Camden Yards will remember.
With the count full, a runner on first and the Twins down a pair in the ninth, O’s closer Ryan Helsley tossed in a slider to DH Josh Bell. The pitch was called a ball, and Bell started ambling toward first, but Helsley reacted by tapping his cap in the direction of home plate ump Chris Segal. After a review, the call was flipped, turning a walk to a strikeout and reshaping the tenor of what could’ve been a very tense ninth inning. Up the visiting dugout steps came Twins skipper Derek Shelton, passionately arguing that Helsley was given too much time to tap his cap for the challenge. Shelton was swiftly ejected.
The rulebook states that a player has two seconds to offer up a challenge, but it is the umpire’s discretion on whether to accept it. Earlier in the weekend, Braves first baseman Matt Olson was denied a challenge by umpire Doug Eddings, who said Olson took too much time. Shelton thought the same should’ve happened with Helsley. It didn’t, and that ended up helping Baltimore finish off a series win.
The whole situation was a reminder that ABS is still very much in its infancy. Umpires and players are learning the flow, the timing, the rhythm of this thing. The human element remains a very relevant factor. In time, some of the edges will get smoothed away, but there will always be enough gray area to incite the occasional ejection. There’s always going to be something to argue about.
ABS leaders so far
Mike Trout — who else? — leads all hitters in the early going with four challenges, three of which were successful. Red Sox youngster Roman Anthony has three. A whole host of players, including superstars such as Ronald Acuña Jr. and Kyle Schwarber, have two. It’s no surprise that the best players are feeling more compelled to ask for reviews. Teams are incentivized to give their top bats every possible advantage. Some clubs have been cagey about ABS strategy, but it’s safe to assume that the Trouts and Anthonys of the world are going to be more active in helmet-tapping.
Speaking of strategy, only six pitchers have challenged so far. Unsurprisingly, just two were correct. During spring training, a number of clubs expressed skepticism about letting their pitchers challenge. That’s because minor-league data showed that pitchers were significantly worse at it, in part because they have the worst angle and in part because they tend to get more emotional. Expect more teams, like the Milwaukee Brewers, to start prohibiting their pitchers from challenging.
Behind the dish, no catcher was more active than Chicago White Sox backstop Edgar Quero, who challenged seven times across 16 innings in the squat. That’s probably not a coincidence. As a rookie last season, Quero was the single worst pitch-framer in MLB. But just because he’s poor at the physical act of receiving a pitch doesn’t mean Quero doesn’t know the zone. There were multiple times over the weekend when Quero suboptimally framed an in-zone pitch, influencing the ump to call a ball. Quero overturned four of his seven challenges.
Quero presents an interesting gateway into the interplay between ABS and pitch framing. Bad framers might prove to benefit from the challenge system more than good ones. Will that push teams to play worse defenders behind the dish? Does framing balls into strikes become less important now that hitters can challenge?
Time will tell, but Pandora’s strike zone is officially open.
Every Monday, I will work on my rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings to give Yahoo drafters (yes, you can still draft a new team!) a fresh sheet to work off, as well as help current managers with their player analysis. Here is a stock watch of movers and shakers from the opening week.
You’ll find my full rest-of-season rankings at the end of this story.
Risers
UT Brendan Donovan, Mariners
He was one of my regular targets all draft season, so perhaps moving him up my board is a little confirmation bias — we’re all human. And Donovan came out smoking, with a 6-for-14 opening stretch with a couple of homers mixed in.
But what especially makes me happy is seeing Donovan attempt two stolen bases (one success, one thrown out) after hardly running in his St. Louis days. The Mariners are a running team and Donovan has the potential to steal double-digit bases. He also led off in three of four games, and we love chasing volume.
SS Kevin McGonigle, Tigers
The four-hit opener got everyone’s attention, but the second game was impressive, too. McGonigle hit a drive to center that looked like a sure homer; Jackson Merrill brought it back with an outstanding catch. Later in the game, McGonigle was allowed to face lefty reliever Wandy Peralta, and the result was a classic at-bat: a 10-pitch marathon which culminated in McGonigle stroking a two-run single to the gap.
The at-bat was like a poem, McGonigle spitting on bad pitches and fouling off difficult ones. It’s encouraging to see that McGonigle is not going to be a platoon player, and given his excellent OBP skills, I would not be surprised if he’s leading off for Detroit before summer arrives. Also note, McGonigle saw some time at third base; he’ll probably add a position of eligibility soon.
OF Mike Trout, Angels
I wish the Halos would let him DH and just focus on the offense. Playing him in center field seems like a wish-casting mistake. But Trout can still rake at the plate, as the Astros saw last week — two homers, seven walks, .462 average. Give him a break, Injury Gods.
SP Emerson Hancock, Mariners
He’s been a mediocre pitcher for two years in Seattle, but maybe the timing is right for a breakthrough. Hancock was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, had 21 strikeouts against just one walk in spring training and then he threw this gem at the Guardians on Sunday night: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB. 9 K.
Hancock needs more impressive performances to keep a spot in the Seattle rotation when everyone is back healthy, but you force your way onto the radar with this type of outing. He carries a pedigree, he pitches for a contender, he works in a big ballpark. I considered the plausible upside and added him in a deeper league or two.
1B Nolan Schanuel, Angels
We’ve always admired him for a solid average and excellent plate discipline. He’ll take a walk, he’s hard to strike out. But if Schaunel’s power is ready to blossom — now we’re getting somewhere. He homered twice in the truncated week and he’s stepping into his age-24 season. The timing might be right for a step forward.
SP Randy Vázquez, Padres
Despite a respectable 3.84 ERA from Vázquez in the San Diego rotation last year, I did not consider him in my March drafts. Perhaps it’s because he outpitched his component stats (4.85 FIP), setting up trust issues. But after an eight-strikeout breeze against Detroit (six scoreless innings), I’ll at least add Vázquez to the streaming list.
UT David Hamilton, Brewers
I don’t know how much he’s going to play or how much he’s going to hit — he was a .198/.257/.333 stick last year. But he’s already got four walks and three steals for the Brewers, so Hamilton at least deserves a spot somewhere on the redraft board. Despite modest playing time, he did swipe 55 bases the last two years. It’s like Billy Hamilton is back in our lives.
RP Jordan Romano, Angels / RP Cole Sands, Twins
The most important save in an unsettled bullpen is the first one. Romano stepped up for the Angels — called on with others hurt — and Sands earned the Minnesota handshake. This gives them mixed-league relevance until further notice.
Fallers
1B Rafael Devers, Giants
Life was pretty good in Boston for Devers, hitting in an offensive paradise and surrounded by other capable players. Now he’s tied to San Francisco’s roomy park, and a Giants offense that’s filled with holes. The Giants can’t be as bad as they looked in the opening series against the Yankees, but it’s possible this could be a bottom-five offense.
RP Carlos Estévez, Royals
His debut against Atlanta couldn’t have gone worse — a six-run nightmare, punctuated with an ankle injury. Estévez is merely day-to-day with the ankle issue, but while he was unavailable Sunday, Lucas Erceg recorded a clean save. Estévez kept the closing gig last year despite an ordinary strikeout rate and a bloated walk rate. The Royals fancy themselves contenders this year, so Estévez’s leash is likely to be short.
RP Mick Abel, Twins
He’s not in the rotation yet and he was hammered in his first relief appearance (five runs, eight hits, four walks). Abel still deserves monitoring, but let’s do it while he’s sitting on the wire.
1B Kyle Manzardo, Guardians
He couldn’t figure out the Seattle staff, striking out 10 times over 16 at-bats. And it’s possible Manzardo will fall into a platoon, holding a career .196/.256/.402 slash against southpaws. Manzardo’s highs against RHPs do not justify the other side of the case here.
Scott Pianowski’s updated rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings (as of March 30):
It’s Week 23. One week left to do what it do. Don’t let all of your hard work managing your squad for 22 weeks go to waste. It’s time to bring home a fantasy basketball title.
My Playlist is focused on the guys who play on lighter slates — Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — but with the schedule only having one double-digit slate, you can find pockets to play the matchups all week. Try to maximize transactions by having one pickup last at least two to three games before you pivot.
One thing to plan around before you start adding: the Warriors, Pacers, Nuggets and Kings don’t play until Wednesday. The Pelicans don’t play until Thursday. The Nuggets and the Trail Blazers play only two games. Hold your main guys, but the fringe players can be dropped.
Fantasy basketball pickups and advice.
Daniss Jenkins – PG/SG, Detroit Pistons (35%)
Just a PSA for shallow league managers. Jenkins is averaging 18-4-7 over his last seven starts without Cade Cunningham. The Pistons have arguably the best schedule with four games this week, with three on lighter slates. He’s an auto-start in points and 9-cat leagues this week.
Will Riley – SF/PF, Washington Wizards (21%)
Between 20-minute playing restrictions and 10-day contracts, it’s hard to pinpoint what to expect of most Wizards options. Riley is the only trustworthy asset for the Wizards right now.
He was a top-40 player in 9-cat last week, averaging 18-5-3 with a steal per game and an efficient 51/41/88 shooting split. Those in shallow leagues need to take notice: the Wiz have four games, and Riley will cook in any format.
Dylan Harper – PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs (20%)
The rookie out of Rutgers is making the most of his minutes lately, posting a solid 15-4-5 in just 24 minutes per game across his last six contests. The stocks haven’t been there, but he’s been otherwise a valuable 9-cat asset with his efficiency and contributions in 3s.
Harper’s been a top-60 player in 9-cat over the past two weeks and has a favorable four-game schedule where I’d want to play him as the Spurs chase the Thunder for the best record in the West. Two consolation options are Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie, who will chip in across 3s, points and possibly rebounds.
Paul Reed – C/PF, Detroit Pistons (5%)
Reed has a ton of injury upside heading his way to start the week. Jalen Duren is listed as doubtful on Monday, and Isaiah Stewart remains on the sideline. The Pistons face two strong defensive teams to start the week, playing against the Thunder and Raptors on Monday and Tuesday.
Still, the thin frontcourt will work in Reed’s favor in terms of opportunity. High minutes (if he stays out of foul trouble) will lead to more counting stats for fantasy managers. Detroit avoids Sunday’s 11-game slate, so picking up Reed (and other Pistons) will go a long way in Week 22.
Jaxson Hayes – C, Los Angeles Lakers (7%)
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to have to go here, but I picked up Hayes in a couple of spots because he’s playing too well for me not to consider him. He’s putting up Daniel Gafford numbers, hitting all of those traditional big man stats of FG%, rebounds and blocks.
He swatted almost 4 shots per game in Week 22, averaging 14 points and 7 boards — far more productive than Deandre Ayton. The Lakers play three games in four nights, so I’m anticipating Hayes will feast in the Monday-Tuesday back-to-back, especially in garbage time versus Washington to begin the week.
Royce O’Neale – SF/PF, Phoenix Suns (16%)
Dillon Brooks is sitting out on Monday and it’s less likely that Grayson Allen will play both games of the Suns’ back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday. If you need 3s, stocks and low-end assists, O’Neale has surprisingly been getting busy, ranking as a top-60 player in 9-cat the past two weeks.
The Suns play three games in four nights to open the week, so the schedule works in his favor. A deeper add would be Ryan Dunn, who contributes to similar categories as O’Neale, just swapping assists for rebounds.
Oso Ighodaro – C, Phoenix Suns (18%)
Oso is another Phoenix player to target because of the early schedule advantage and the fact that Mark Williams isn’t ready to play. Ighodaro has flashed some fantasy-centric appeal as a big man who rebounds well, can score, is a playmaker and can aggregate stocks. I like him more in points leagues, though, because his inconsistent free-throw shooting won’t tank your percentages.
Sandro Mamukelashvili – C/PF, Toronto Raptors (14%)
Mamu is on a heater in his last four games, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 3s per game. The Raptors play a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back and have two games over the weekend on Friday and Sunday. Although the Raptors play on Sunday, they have a few starters (Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles and Brandon Ingram) who are unlikely to play on back-to-backs, which would help Mamu’s numbers. I’d also consider Ja’Kobe Walter, with Immanuel Quickley still out with plantar fasciitis.
Ousmane Dieng – SF, Milwaukee Bucks (14%)
The Bucks have been eliminated from playoff contention, which means it’s time to rest all of the vets in favor of some young blood like Dieng. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner are either out or day-to-day, leaving Dieng with a chance to take on more shot volume and usage. While the counting-stat potential is there for points, rebounds, assists and steals, his efficiency is horrible. Prioritize Dieng for points leagues, as the Bucks have four games, three of which are before Sunday.
Kevin Huerter – SG/SF, Detroit Pistons (4%)
Similar to Reed, Huerter is a worthwhile stream given Detroit’s schedule and injury reports. Tobias Harris is doubtful and Ausar Thompson is questionable on Monday. That leaves a nice opportunity for Huerter, a guy who scored 22 points two games ago and has been racking up a surprising number of steals over his past five contests (10 total steals). He hits 3s and has been pretty efficient in terms of assists to turnovers, so I’d add him to the list of considerations for championship week.
New Orleans Pelicans
Strictly a matchup play in the middle of the week, where the Pelicans face off against the Blazers and Kings on Thursday and Friday. Two streamable days where Herb Jones should be on your radar in shallow leagues, with Derik Queen and Yves Missi on your watchlist for deeper leagues.
